#  Religion and Climate 

 



   ![Screening and discussion of “Wild Life](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/hds2/files/climate-focus-cir-detail-page-650.jpg?itok=OV9pvQPZ) 

 

*Photo by Caroline Cataldo* As our world collectively grapples with the negative effects of a changing climate, care for the environment and advancing a more sustainable future are increasingly important areas of focus at Harvard. HDS has been, and continues to be, a vital partner in University-wide conversations about climate change and a leader in exploring environmental issues through a multireligious perspective. As former HDS Dean David Hempton said, “This crisis has laid bare the dire need to bridge cultural and religious divides that inhibit progress. This is where Harvard Divinity School can make a difference in the fight for a more sustainable future—by bringing the full force of the humanities to the conversation.”

Much of HDS’s climate-related programming this year has involved convening conversations to consider the embedded religious dimensions of political, economic, and social systems that have contributed to climate collapse and environmental injustice. “[Religion in Times of Earth Crisis](/news/religion-times-earth-crisis "Religion in Times of Earth Crisis"),” a webinar series devoted to discussing the climate crisis, was a response to Professor Mayra Rivera’s American Academy of Religion 2022 presidential address, “What is the Role of the Study of Religion in Times of Catastrophe?” Sponsored by the Center for the Study of World Religions, Religion and Public Life, and Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability, among other programs, this six-part series featured members of the HDS faculty who explored, through their respective areas of expertise, “what an expansive understanding of religion can provide in these times of Earth crisis.”

To highlight a few examples, Professor Dan McKanan’s presentation was part of his ongoing effort to rethink the tradition of conservation so that it includes efforts not only to preserve and protect special places but also protect the ordinary places where we live and work. The Rev. Matthew Ichihashi Potts reflected on “the spiritual crisis at the heart of climate catastrophe and the potential for a religious response.” And Professor Teren Sevea spoke about stories of multispecies ancestors and colonizers, Islamic conceptions of the environment, and narrative traditions of Islamic ecological care. Each speaker contributed important perspectives on the ways that an understanding of religion can guide us in these times of environmental catastrophe.

This year, HDS also hosted a screening and discussion of *Wild Life*, a film celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. [The film](/news/2023/12/21/hds-film-screening-celebrates-50th-anniversary-endangered-species-act "HDS Film Screening Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Endangered Species Act") “follows conservationist Kris Tompkins on an epic, decades-spanning love story as wild as the landscapes she has dedicated her life to protecting.” In partnership with the Constellation Project, the event was organized by Terry Tempest Williams, HDS Writer-in-Residence, Diane L. Moore, MDiv ’84, Associate Dean for Religion and Public Life, and Geralyn White Dreyfous, AB ’84, an award-winning producer. Their fall semester course, “Wild Promise,” also celebrated the Endangered Species Act’s anniversary. During her introductory remarks, Williams spoke about the class and HDS’s role in addressing climate issues: “\[In this class\] we are celebrating endangered species. Why here, you might ask? Why talk about the Earth, and endangered species, and extinction, and climate at a Divinity School? Yes, it's a political issue. Yes, it's an ecological issue. But we, here, at the Divinity School, also understand that this is a spiritual issue.”

Other recent programming included Climate Justice Week, an HDS student initiative. This year, Climate Justice Week focused on the theme “In Our Backyard,” in “recognition that we are deeply affected by what is local, that we can always act in our immediate environment, and that we are all connected through neighborliness.” One of the events that took place during the week was a workshop for climate justice professionals called “How Do We Work in Crisis: Confronting Climate Grief for Climate Professionals.”

Facilitated by [Miriam Silverman Israel](/miriam-silverman-israel-mts-24 "Miriam Silverman Israel, MTS '24"), MTS ’24, the workshop provided a space for sharing experiences and identifying resources for coping with the reality of climate grief. Other events included a showcase for students to share projects focusing on the intersections of religion, justice, and climate, and a seed-planting ceremony in the HDS garden that invited participants to contemplate what it means to plant seeds of peace and justice in our own backyard.

—*by Sarah Rubin*



 

 [ See the Full HDS Community Impact Fund Report. arrow\_circle\_right ](https://www.hds.harvard.edu/hds-fund-community-impact-report) 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ HDS Fund Community Impact Report ](/page-type/hds-fund-community-impact-report)